Human Trafficking Prioritization Act - (Sec. 3) Expresses the sense of Congress that the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking of the Department of State will be more effective in carrying out duties mandated by Congress in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, and can do so without an increase in either personnel or budget, if: (1) the Office status is changed to that of a Bureau within the Department; and (2) the Office is headed by an Assistant Secretary with direct access to the Secretary of State, rather than an Ambassador-at-Large.
(Sec. 4) Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to change the status of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to that of the Bureau to Combat Trafficking in Persons.
(Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary to report to Congress:
(Sec. 6) Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to prohibit subsequent inclusion for more than one consecutive year on the special watch list of countries whose compliance with minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking is full, partial, or insignificant if the country: (1) was included on the list for four consecutive years after enactment of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, and (2) was subsequently included on the exclusive Tier 3 list of countries not making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with such standards.
(Sec. 7) States that no additional funds are authorized to be appropriated for diplomatic and consular programs to carry out this Act.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2283 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2283
To prioritize the fight against human trafficking within the Department
of State according to congressional intent in the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act of 2000 without increasing the size of the Federal
Government, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 6, 2013
Mr. Smith of New Jersey introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To prioritize the fight against human trafficking within the Department
of State according to congressional intent in the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act of 2000 without increasing the size of the Federal
Government, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Human Trafficking Prioritization
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The International Labor Organization estimates that
nearly 21,000,000 people are subjected to modern slavery around
the world at any given time and that the majority of the
enslaved are women and girls.
(2) Congress authorized the creation of a Department of
State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons in
the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-
386) in order to directly assist the Secretary of State in his
or her effort to coordinate a United States Government
interagency response to domestic and international trafficking
in persons.
(3) The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
monitors trafficking worldwide and produces the online and
printed versions of the annual Trafficking in Persons Report,
which is Congress' primary resource for human trafficking
reporting, analysis, and recommendations on the United States
and 186 countries around the world.
(4) The annual Trafficking in Persons Report contains tier
rankings of each country on which it reports, and these tier
rankings have become an essential diplomatic tool for promoting
protection for victims, prevention of trafficking, and
prosecution of perpetrators.
(5) Some countries have openly stated, and many others have
confided, that dramatic improvements in the country's human
trafficking record were directly related to avoidance of a low
tier ranking in the annual Trafficking in Persons Report.
(6) Ambassador Mark Lagon, former Ambassador-at-Large to
Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (2007-2009),
testified before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health,
Global Human Rights, and International Organizations of the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives on
April 18, 2013, that ``[T]he State Department does a tremendous
job in producing a report which tells it like it is, offering
objective rankings. Yet at times it pulls punches, typically
due to the urging of regional specialists rather than the TIP
Office's dedicated experts on trafficking.''.
(7) Ambassador John Miller, former Ambassador-at-Large to
Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (2002-2006), recently
stated that, ``Upgrading the status of the Office to a Bureau
will not create additional bureaucracy--it will simply give
JTIP and the Ambassador-at-large who heads it equal standing
with regional and functional bureaus at the State Department.
That standing is absolutely essential for the issue to remain a
priority, especially when multiple U.S. interests are
engaged.''.
(8) The tier ranking process authorized by Congress in the
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 has been in some
instances compromised by the Office to Monitor and Combat
Trafficking subordinate stature within the Department of State.
(9) It is essential for Congress and the Secretary of State
to be accurately informed regarding United States and foreign
country successes and failures in the fight against human
trafficking.
(10) The diplomatic power and credibility of the
Trafficking in Persons Report is based on rigorous scholarship
and scrupulous application of the minimum standards for the
elimination of human trafficking and is undermined by
political, rather than factual, tier rankings.
(11) Strong and effective anti-slavery policy requires that
officials from the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking
have equal hierarchical standing with State Department regional
bureaus and direct access to the Secretary of State.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the Sense of Congress that--
(1) the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking of the
Department of State will be more effective in carrying out
duties mandated by Congress in the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act of 2000 if the Office status is changed to that
of a Bureau within the Department hierarchy;
(2) the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking will be
more effective in carrying out duties mandated by Congress in
the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 if the Office is
headed by an Assistant Secretary with direct access to the
Secretary of State, rather than an Ambassador-at-Large; and
(3) the change in status from Office to Monitor and Combat
Trafficking with an Ambassador-at-Large to a Bureau led by an
Assistant Secretary can be accomplished without increasing the
number of personnel or the budget of the current Office.
SEC. 4. OFFICE TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS.
(a) In General.--Section 105(e) of the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7103(e)) is amended--
(1) in the heading, by striking ``Office to Monitor and
Combat Trafficking'' and inserting ``Bureau to Combat
Trafficking in Persons'';
(2) in paragraph (1)--
(A) in the first sentence, by striking ``Office to
Monitor and Combat Trafficking'' and inserting ``Bureau
to Combat Trafficking in Persons'';
(B) in the second sentence,--
(i) by striking ``Office'' and inserting
``Bureau'';
(ii) by striking ``Director'' and inserting
``Assistant Secretary of State''; and
(iii) by striking ``, with the rank of
Ambassador-at-Large''; and
(C) in the third sentence, by striking ``Director''
and inserting ``Assistant Secretary of State'';
(D) in the fourth sentence, by striking
``Director'' and inserting ``Assistant Secretary of
State'';
(E) in the fifth sentence, by striking ``Director''
and inserting ``Assistant Secretary of State''; and
(F) in the sixth sentence, by striking ``Office''
and inserting ``Bureau''; and
(3) in paragraph (2)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``Office to
Monitor and Combat Trafficking'' and inserting ``Bureau
to Combat Trafficking in Persons''; and
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``Director''
and inserting ``Assistant Secretary of State''.
(b) Conforming Amendments.--
(1) In general.--Any reference in the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act of 2000 or in any other Act to--
(A) the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking
shall be deemed to be a reference to the Bureau to
Combat Trafficking in Persons; and
(B) the Director or Ambassador-at-Large of the
Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
shall be deemed to be a reference to the Assistant
Secretary directing the Bureau to Combat Trafficking in
Persons.
(2) State department basic authorities act of 1956.--
Section 1(c)(1) of the State Department Basic Authorities Act
of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a(c)(1)) is amended, in the first
sentence, by striking ``24'' and inserting ``25''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
Mr. Smith (NJ) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H6730-6733)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 2283.
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H6730)
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H6730)
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
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